Lemon Jasmine Tea Scones

I can almost smell spring in the air! My wedding flowers are starting to sprout, the apricot tree is full of blooms, and I have bright and sunny baking projects on the agenda! The last few days I’ve been taking it very easy because I had a whirlwind of a trip to New York last week for the Today Show! I was in town for less than 24 hours and barely slept and spent 3 solid hours just fan-girling with anchors of the Today Show. It was so much fun though and totally worth the hibernation I needed once I flew back home. If you want to watch the segments, you can find them here and here!

Now that I’m back, I’m rejoicing in the cool springy weather because it’s perfect for baking and then enjoying your product out in the sun! It had been a while since I infused butter with tea leaves (my favorite party trick) and I also had an intense craving for scones. The flavor of these Lemon Jasmine Tea Scones is just so beautiful and the texture is so lovely! When a scone is good it’s so good. Lemon zest brightens up the buttery scones, providing a little zing. The acid of the lemon juice mixed with the yogurt and cream creates an extra tender scone with crisp edges, the ideal texture in my opinion. Then the jasmine tea is refreshing, yet a little earthy, and add so much complexity to these little (well, not too little) scones. I’ll be making these on repeat all season and I hope you do too!

Lemon Jasmine Tea Scones

Makes 8

1 large egg

70g (1/3 cup) plain greek yogurt

60g (1/4 cup) heavy cream, more for brushing

14g (2 tbsp) lemon zest (from 1 to 2 lemons)

45g (1/4 cup) lemon juice

282g (2 1/4 cups) Bob’s Red Mill All-purpose Flour

5g (1 1/2 tbsp) high quality jasmine tea, ground or finely chopped

1 1/2 tsp Bob’s Red Mill baking powder

1/2 tsp Bob’s Red Mill baking soda

100g (1/2 cup) granulated sugar

1/2 tsp coarse salt

113g (8 tbsp) unsalted butter, chilled and cubed

1. In a small bowl, whisk to combine egg, yogurt, heavy cream, lemon zest, and lemon juice.

2. In a large bowl, whisk to combine flour, jasmine tea, baking powder, baking soda, sugar, and salt. Add butter and cut into the flour with a pastry cutter or break up with your fingertips until sandy. Add the egg mixture and gently mix with a flexible spatula until it forms a shaggy dough. Knead briefly until the dough just starts to form a dough ball, this will only take a few kneads.

3. Transfer the dough to a cutting board and pat into a 5x7-inch rectangle. Chill the dough (on the board) in the freezer until firm but not frozen solid, 45 to 60 minutes.

4. Preheat the oven to 425-degrees and line a large rimmed baking sheet with parchment paper.

5. Trim 1/2” off the edges of the dough with a sharp knife and cut the remaining dough to six squares. Take the edge trimmings and press together to form 2 “rustic” scones. Arrange the scones on the lined baking sheet, spacing 3” apart. Brush the tops with heavy cream and bake until golden brown, 16 to 18 minutes. Serve warm with honey and jam.

Recipe notes:

• Scones can be frozen before and after baking in a resealable bag. If baking from frozen, no need to defrost and bake for a few extra minutes.

Thank you, Bob’s Red Mill, for sponsoring this post!